Iran, Russia shake hands to build new nuclear reactors

Russia and Iran have reached the final agreement to build two new nuclear power plants.

The Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi told ISNA on June 23 that Tehran and Moscow started negotiations about building new nuclear power plants (NPP) several months ago and the "final agreement" about construction of two NPPs has been achieved.

He said that the accord is ready to be signed by officials and the sides want to seal the contract on June 23 or 24 in Tehran. Kamalvandi added that beyond the mentioned NPPs, Iran and Russia would talk about other nuclear reactors during Monday and Tuesday.

Nikolai Spassky, the deputy director general for international affairs at Russia's Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation is scheduled to pay a visit to Tehran on Monday to hold talks with ranking Iranian authorities on issues of mutual interest, Press TV reported on June 23.

According to the report, he will meet with Iranian officials at the Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), including AEOI Director Ali Akbar Salehi.

The report says that, earlier in March, Rosatom and the AEOI reached an agreement to build at least two more nuclear power plants in the southern Iranian port city of Bushehr.

Russia already constructed Iran's only nuclear power plant, 1000-MW Bushehr, which was inagurated in May 2011.

Russia's state nuclear firm Rosatom aims to grow its global order book to $100 billion in 2014, up 25 percent year-on-year, by securing new projects in Hungary, Kazakhstan, India and Iran, Reuters quoted Rosatom's CEO Sergei Kiriyenko on June 2.

Tehran and Moscow also have been negotiating about an agreement on an oil-for-goods swap worth $1.5 billion a month. The agreement potentially would enable Iran to boost oil exports by 500,000 barrels per day.

Iran's oil exports (including condensate) had been drooped from 2.5 million barrels per day to 1.07 million from 2011 to the end of 2013 due to sanctions imposed by West to persuade Iran to curb its sensitive nuclear activities.

After an interim nuclear accord achieved in November 2013, Iran's oil exports has increased about 250 to 300 thousand barrels per day due to elimination of some restrictions and eased sanctions, while the oil sanctions remains unchanged.